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Vintage cast iron

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Kingcreek:
I have used vintage cast iron since college in the 1970s. Had a few pieces when I was married to my first wife (the evil one). She discovered them and bought a couple on yard sales, almost burned my house down when seasoning them and lost interest in cast iron then lost interest in me.
I still have and use a Dutch oven, chicken fryer, and skillet. My current wife (the sweet one) for the past 30 years is the empress of the kitchen but she regularly uses the cast iron properly as well.
I have had a stack of sad neglected cookware in a corner of the workbench since we moved here 23 years ago. Some left behind by the evil one. I have been slowly working through the stack. I thought I would have some to sell when done but now that they are all cleaned and properly seasoned, I have found a place for all but one. I tossed one warped skillet and one that I discovered a crack in after stripping it down. My wife has claimed a couple additional sizes. I have equipped my camping chuck box with its own set. I have 2 skillets for sometimes use on the grill.
The difference in smoothness of the inside surface and cast quality of the good old American foundry stuff is significant. I have griswold, Wagner, and Erie brands. I think everything is probably pre 1940 and a couple are likely late 1800's.
The propane Webber grill worked great for heat stripping and reseasoning without making a mess in my wife's new oven.

charby:
I have a newer 13.25" Lodge, took me about 8 years of cooking with it to have almost as glass smooth as my older iron.

Kingcreek:
Lodge is ok if you can't find the good vintage stuff. They advertise as pre seasoned but it would more accurately be described as rust preventative. Lodge is also a vintage label as there is some old lodge out there.
Bacon grease has been far above any canola veggie oil I've tried although Crisco is said to work. Lard works very well but really who has lard in their pantry anymore? I tried canola and then stripped it and started over.
I did pan seared pork chops in skillet on the grill last night and cleaned up perfectly with course salt a little water and a clean scrap of tee shirt.

K Frame:
I've gone after more than a couple of new cast iron pans with a disk and valve grinding compound to smooth them out. Takes awhile, but if you're careful you can get the glassy smooth finish you're looking for.

Ben:

--- Quote from: Kingcreek on June 22, 2020, 02:43:21 PM ---
Bacon grease has been far above any canola veggie oil I've tried although Crisco is said to work. Lard works very well but really who has lard in their pantry anymore? I tried canola and then stripped it and started over.


--- End quote ---

I have become a fan of flaxseed oil for seasoning. I had read about it but never tried it. Then a few years ago I accidentally ruined one of my (non-vintage) Lodge pans. I decided to try it. I had to order it off Amazon because it's not widely available. After prepping the pan, I went through three iterations of seasoning. Stank like hell. When I was done though, I ended up with what is now my best pan. The flaxseed oil just does an excellent job of filling the pores and creates a hard finish.

I've read a lot about grapeseed oil as being even better, as well as cheaper. I'll probably try it the next time i have to season from scratch. For between use maintenance, I just use lard or canola oil.

On the lard, you mean some people DON'T have lard in the pantry?  =D

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